December 20172018 SRI Outlook

Welcome to the December Issue.

The GreenMoney team is honored to be a co-winner of The 2017 SRI Service Award presented at the recent SRI Conference. The Award recognizes individuals that demonstrate a range of contributions to the field, including industry leadership and success in expanding the influence of investing for a sustainable future.

Every December we like to do an 'Outlook on the Year Ahead' issue. After such an unparalleled 2017, the year ahead should be...I'll let my writers fill that in. Sure to be on many SRI investor's minds are the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). John Adams of the Arbor Group at UBS recently told me that they have been expanding their traditional ESG screens to include reviewing companies in comparison to the 17 SDGs. He is finding that an increasing number of large corporations are reporting their actions in reference to the SDGs, which can provide valuable insight into their performance and impact.

Looking into 2018, higher corporate earnings – inevitable with the new lower taxes rates – ought to lead to the sort of volatility-free rise in the stock market that 2017 saw. Further, employment is full in this country; emerging economies continue to grow at rates that exceed those of developed economies; exciting new industries such as software-as-a-service, alternative energy storage and the internet of things arise with regularity fueling dynamic growth. Then there's the other picture. There are two enormous longer-term and permanent threats to my cheerful scenario. China is the macro geopolitical one and the other is due to climate change. Further, there are three short-term unavoidable threats, also worth acknowledging. Read More

There are numerous lessons to be learned from experiences at Facebook. First, agnosticism comes at a price. We live in a values laden society. To presume that our wide spectrum of values can be discounted and factored out of the algorithmic equation ignores the current reality of our society and world. It is still people who are using the platform and people are imperfect. Of course humans are integral to Facebook and when complemented by algorithms, they can make an excellent product even better. The company itself could also better manage the risks to their brand that seems to be dogging them these days. In 2018, ESG is here to help. Responsible algorithms anyone?Read More

Aligning the capital markets more directly with the urgent needs we face as a society to halt environmental destruction and reverse decades of worsening inequality must be our priority for 2018. Alignment needs to occur at every level, across the global markets. Despite the tremendous efforts behind the Paris Climate Accord, formalization of the UN Sustainable Development Goals and a long history of other efforts to change the course of climate change and inequality, we are not making nearly the progress needed. The 1,700 signatories to the UN Principles for Responsible Investment, which represent $70 trillion of assets and a wave of press about ESG investing, have not gotten us on track yet.Read More

At Appleseed Capital, we have watched developments in SRI and ESG with great satisfaction. Having launched the Appleseed Fund nearly 11 years ago, we are proud to have been a participant in the long-term movement to align investments with values. As we look forward to 2018 and beyond, we expect to see the recent trends surrounding SRI investing to remain solidly intact. We believe that more and more traditional investors and asset managers will come to understand the value, both social and financial, of investing with a purpose, and we are confident that the Sustainable Responsible Impact Investing industry will continue to evolve in response to the changing political and economic environment.Read More

With Jerry Taylor, President of Niskanen Center and former VP of the Cato Institute, (moderator) Bill Shireman, President and CEO of Future 500, and Debbie Dooley, Founder of the Green Tea Coalition and President of Conservatives for Energy Freedom.

Global Events Calendar

Connecting Organic Growers and Producers with Supply Chain and Service Providers. This is event is powered by the Organic Produce Network (OPN) and California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF). For two days in Monterey, organic growers, producers and processors will gather for information, education and networking with the entire organic production supply chain. If you’re a supplier, service provider, equipment manufacturer, packaging company or technology company, you won’t want to miss your customers at this event.